Lost Souls by Jenny O'Brien (android e book reader txt) 📕

She watched him raise his eyes heavenward, his reluctant shrug of acquiescence telling her everything she wanted to know.

The back of the property was exactly how she imagined, her recent experience at the Memorial Gardens a sharp reminder that the glamorous frontage would only go so far – as far as the customer’s inquisitive eye. The business end was a concreted forecourt hidden from view with three polished hearses and a bright red Porsche.

‘Bingo. Not quite James Bond but near enough.’

Chapter 53

Owen

Tuesday 4 August, 2.25 p.m. H Prince and Sons

There was no one Owen liked to work with more than Gaby Darin. She had quite a few faults, more than a few. But she said it how it was, which meant that the team always knew where they stood with her. She also never asked her colleagues to do anything that she wouldn’t gladly do herself if she had the time. Usually one of the first in the office in the morning and the last to leave, she had exacting standards, which she expected her team to live up to.

But – and there was a big ‘but’ coming – she was impulsive, an impulsivity that got her into tight corners and Owen, as her mainstay, got dragged along with her. She’d nearly died a few months ago … He squeezed his eyes tight not wanting to relive even for a second what had happened to Kate and the debt he owed Gaby for saving the life of both his wife and his child.

Owen didn’t want to be here with Gaby simply because he didn’t want to go into an unknown situation with a partner who had more guts than sense and a severe allergy to anything more energetic than turning the page of one of those romance novels he’d spotted in her glove compartment the last time he’d been rummaging for a packet of mints. He also didn’t need to be reminded that, with a less-than-two-week-old baby at home, he wasn’t on par. He was so below par as to feel sick with tiredness – trying to compensate with a mixture of caffeine and chocolate had only made his head buzz and his legs shake. But with Gaby marching towards the rear of the building, he had little choice but to follow.

‘Hey, hold on a mo.’ He ran to catch her up, the sound of his shoes against the concrete drive causing him to slow his stride. He couldn’t do much, only try to contain her enthusiasm by touting a cautious note. ‘How do you want to play this? Remember, she knows me but …’

‘But not me. Good point.’ Gaby stepped away from the door and back towards the gate and the street beyond. ‘I’m going to head into the shop and see if I can’t distract her while you sneak in the back and try and find Anita.’

Owen opened his mouth to reply but it would have been like speaking to a brick wall, which was the only thing he could see now she’d walked through the gate, around the corner and out of his line of vision.

Bloody women and bloody Darin in particular. One of these days …

His hand on the door, he tried to push on the wood only to lift it to his head instead and slap his forehead in disgust, his attention on the small keypad to the left of the frame.

Of frigging course it’s locked. Security is bound to be high with all those dead bodies.

He looked over his shoulder and the direction Gaby had gone before turning back to face the door. There was nothing he could do other than follow her but that might mean putting her in danger.

The clock ticked, seconds passed while he considered his options, seconds that seemed to travel the same distance as minutes or even hours. The truth was he didn’t have any choice. Decision made, he pulled out his phone and told the team that he was going in. He only hoped that it wouldn’t be too late.

Chapter 54

Gaby

Tuesday 4 August, 2.25 p.m. H Prince and Sons

The front door was open but there was nobody at home, which set all the alarm bells ringing inside Gaby’s skull as she took in the mahogany reception desk and mushroom-coloured carpet. Everything was coordinated with no expense spared. Her attention was drawn to the crystal vase of fresh cream lilies and small dish of mints that would have looked more in place in an upmarket beautician’s than an undertaker’s.

She hurried across the small expanse of floor and through an arch at the back of the room. The carpet carried on throughout, something she noticed without being aware of it, interior design not even making the list of her current concerns. There were two offices up ahead, both doors open and both empty, her breath leaving her body in a whoosh of relief that was quickly stemmed. The open front door worried her more now that she was in the heart of Prince and Sons. No one left a reception area unmanned unless there was a crisis and what better crisis than an unexpected dead body?

She continued on her journey, passing a long table littered with an artful array of leaflets, which barely registered. Instead she headed along the corridor on the left towards the plain dark wooden door that, by a process of elimination, had to lead to where all the action took place. Her footsteps were silent against the thick pile of the carpet, the only noise to be heard her heart drumming in her ears. The fear exploding in her chest was tangible. She could almost feel it creeping along her veins and setting to work on her muscles. Who knew that knocking knees was a thing! Most of her neurons and cells wanted to turn and run, her obdurate nature the only thing that kept the soles of her shoes fixed to the floor. Hayley Prince was not